Sunday Music: Mac Miller + Thundercat = More Please

August 12, 2018

I haven’t been much a Mac Miller fan. As for Thundercat – I’ve been impressed, especially with his work alongside Kendrick, but I haven’t really fallen in love with any of his other work (liked, just didn’t love).

For both of them, maybe I just need to dig a little deeper, but that was my impression prior to when I saw this Tiny Desk performance show up in my feed. I almost skipped over it.

I’m not sure what the impetus was that drove them together for this album, but whoever envisioned this deserves credit. It’s good.

I’m still not totally sold on the full studio record but that’s in part because this stripped down, live version hits me so hard. It’s especially this band – they’re killer. Pocket, phrasing, his high-hat game? I fell down on a D’Angelo rabbit-hole after the first listen, came back and decided to stay a while.

If you check out nothing else, try “What’s the Use.”

The full performance is worth the 18 minutes.

And, a trip down memory lane with D’Angelo and multi-string master Charlie Hunter.